North Dakota Bill Would Require Providers To Offer Ultrasounds 24 Hours Before Performing Abortions

North Dakota Rep. Bette Grande (R) has introduced legislation (H.B. 1371) that would require abortion providers in the state to give women seeking abortions the option of viewing an ultrasound at least 24 hours before an abortion is performed, the AP/Grand Forks Herald reports. According to Grande, the bill may lead to fewer abortions. The bill would not require women to view the ultrasound images. Grande said she hopes that women will decide not to have abortions after they "see what they have inside their womb[s]." According to Mary Spaulding Balch, a spokesperson for the National Right to Life Committee, 18 states have similar laws in place, most of which were passed within the last two years. Grande added that for a woman coming to a clinic "with a possibility of an abortion, [an ultrasound] is just one more tool that person has [at her] disposal to find out exactly what the procedure will entail."

source: Medical News Today